


Brooklyn Hearts

by LillyWillow94



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Addiction, Angst, Character Death, DoctorAU, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Major Illness, Marvel - Freeform, Medical Themes, Reader-Insert, some language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 12:54:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21731626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LillyWillow94/pseuds/LillyWillow94
Summary: The life of a doctor is not an easy one. Each day holds new challenges and trials that must be overcome; navigating through white coats and scrubs, epidemics and emergencies alike, all the while balancing work and relationships. All you can hope for is someone supportive to lean on when times are tough.
Relationships: Tony Stark/ Reader - Relationship, sam Wilson/ reader
Kudos: 2





	Brooklyn Hearts

When you were a small girl, your parents gave you a little toy medical kit. Ever since that moment, you knew that all you wanted to be in your life was a doctor. After years of studying, late nights and more coffees than were recommended in a balanced diet, you were just months away from graduating and getting your degree. Smiling at your reflection in your full length mirror, you admired the way you looked in your graduation cap and gown.

“Y/N L/N, how does it feel to be graduating with full honours?” you said, conducting an imaginary interview with yourself. Before you could give a response, your roommate and fellow intern Carol Danvers pulled you out of your thoughts.

“Y/N, hurry up! We need to go!” she called.

“Coming!” You quickly put your cap and gown back on their hook and ran to meet up with her. Carol said goodbye to her cat Goose, giving him a rub on the head before running out the door.  
...

It wasn’t long before you were rushing into the front doors of Brookdale Hospital passing the statue of Stan, the hospital’s benefactor. He was encased in bronze, his face etched in a permanent smile. Beneath the statue was a plaque dedicated to his memory with one of his favourite quotes; “Excelsior!” You would have liked to stop and admire the statue but unfortunately, you were barely going to make it on time.

“I’m here! I made it!” you panted as you raced up to your assessor, Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross. Ross used to be an army doctor and it showed, from the tall way he stood to the way he squared his shoulders.

“Hm. Barely,” he commented, looking at his watch. 

Ross then collected the other interns of your group to start your rotation. Your group was made up five people. There was Gamora, a talented intern and head of the class. She was hardworking, determined and didn’t take any nonsense from anyone. Then there was Nebula; Gamora’s sister. Much like Gamora, Nebula was also a talented doctor and could name and recite any fact from any textbook. However, her people skills (not to mention her bedside manner) needed some work. The final member of your group was Peter Quill, Gamora’s off again, on again boyfriend. Peter was a decent guy and was very personable. He just scraped by with his grades and although he could be a bit of a slacker at times, Peter wanted nothing more than to prove to everyone that he did in fact belong here. He even took on any extra rotations available. Each one of you had completed rotations in various fields to decide which one you may go into after you graduated. All that was left now was to complete your rotations in the clinic.

Ross called for your attention and gathered you all around a patient.

“Alright, cadets, who can tell me what is wrong with this patient?” he asked.

“I would Doctor Ross but it would be a shame if the others didn’t get a chance to show off before I answer correctly,” Nebula smirked. Ross gave a curt nod.

“Miss L/N?”

“Okay, um...” You were about to check the patient’s chart but Ross stopped you.

“This is not high school, Miss L/N. No cheat sheets.” Gamora and Nebula watched you with smug looks on their faces.

“Well, the patient was brought in with, uh... pains between the chest and abdomen, complaining of heart...”

“She’s definitely going to fail this class,” Nebula whispered to Gamora.

“...failure,” you finished. Nebula and Gamora held back laughs, Carol looked sympathetic and Peter had a look on his face that was relieved that it finally wasn’t him that had made a mistake in front of the attending.

“Is that right?” Ross questioned his jaw set tight.

“Burn! I meant heartburn! I’m sorry, Dr. Ross but they distracted me.”

“If you are serious about becoming a doctor Miss L/N, start taking responsibility... and work on your presentation skills while you’re at it.” With that, he dismissed the class so you could each set to work.  
...

You were in the process of organising patient charts when Nebula approached you.

“Make sure you don’t make too many mistakes filling those out. I’d hate to come back and do them all again,” she smirked.

“You’re no better than I am, Nebula. We’re both still interns...”

“Perhaps but the difference between us is I’m going places and you’re going to be stuck working the free clinic for the rest of your pathetic career... that is if you even graduate.” On her way past, her hand ‘accidently’ bumped your charts, knocking them all onto the floor. You were about ready to throttle her when a voice pulled you out of your (somewhat violent) thoughts.

“Hey, Babydoll.” You looked up from your fallen charts to see the face of your ever loving and supportive boyfriend Tony Stark.

“Aw, bad day?” he asked, noticing the frazzled look on your face. You nodded feebly and he pulled you into his arms.

“I’m not on call tonight. How about you come over, I’ll order us your favourite food and we can just chill out. Maybe watch a movie...” No matter how bad things got, Tony knew just the right thing to say or do to lift your spirits.

“I’d really like that. Now I had better get back to work before Ross turns me into a patient,” you laughed.

With that, you left to continue the rest of your rotation.  
...

The rest of the time was brutal with Ross breathing down your neck.

“Miss Danvers! That needle is so incorrectly set, it’s a wonder it hasn’t gone straight through!”

“Quill! Are you planning on joining the army?”

“Wh-what? Uh...”

“Because your workstation looks like a warzone!”

“Miss L/N, this is not ancient Egypt! Cut back on those bandages!”

Next, he rounded on Nebula who was inspecting her nails.

“This is not a beauty salon,” Ross chastised.

Finally, he turned on Gamora.

“It’s called suturing for a reason. That’s it, I want every one of you OUT OF HERE!” he roared, stamping his foot. “YOU ARE ALL DISMISSED!”

The whole group of interns scattered like cockroaches when the lights are turned on. There was no point in reasoning with Ross when he was in one of his moods.

You ran out of there as fast as you possibly could and on your way to the elevator you noticed head of paediatrics and ex boyfriend Sam Wilson comforting a little boy.

“Hey, buddy. What happened? Everything was fine this morning when I left my rounds. You were going to play a board game with Susie...”

“She said no,” the boy sniffled.

“Susie didn’t want to play a game with you?”

“She doesn’t... Susie said she didn’t want to be my girlfriend,” he pouted.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Tommy.”

“Can I go to another ward?” Tommy asked. Sam offered him a kind smile.

“Let me offer you some advice... In your lifetime, there will be a lot of girls who’ll say no. Love is not an easy thing. Even awesome docs like me get turned down every once in a while but that doesn’t mean you’re not a cool guy. It just means she’s not the one for you. I know it’s a sucky feeling right now but that doesn’t mean you have to keep away from her.”

Tommy listened to every word he spoke.

“I still work with a girl who rejected me,” he said in a half whisper.

“Really?” Tommy gasped. Sam nodded.

“It’s not always easy but I’m happy we’re still friends because I’d hate to lose her. You still wanna play board games with Susie, yeah? And talk to her when you’re happy, sad and be there for when she’s scared... Wanna go back now?”

Tommy hesitated before nodding.

“You got this. I believe in you,” he said, holding his hand up for a high five.

This made Tommy smile and he gave Sam a high five.

“Good job!”

Sam noticed you and gave a small wave and a smile before escorting the boy back to the paediatric ward. It was true; you did break up with Sam but it wasn’t because it you didn’t love him. You had had began dating Sam shortly at the beginning of your internship and a few months later, he got the call to go overseas as a part of Doctors Without Borders. You knew you couldn’t let him stay just for you and as much as it broke your heart, you had to let him go. Not long after that, Tony was there to help you pick up the shattered pieces.

The elevator dinged, pulling you out of your thoughts. Sighing, you stepped in and was about to press the button to close the door when a voice stopped you.

“Hold the door!”

May Parker raced in and caught the door before it closed and was soon followed by the janitor, Happy Hogan. May was both your neighbour and mentor when you first started working at Brookdale. She was also head of the laboratory and was always there for you whenever you had a problem. You made small talk with her, failing to notice the awkward sideways glances that she and Happy were making with each other. When the elevator dinged, you invited May to the cafeteria to grab some lunch but she claimed she was busy.  
...

After a lunch break and Ross had calmed down, the interns all began to return to their rounds. While nobody was looking, a man with a deep cut on his leg took an opportunity to attempt to swipe something from the pharmacy but when he saw the doctors coming, he limped to a chair as fast as he could.

“Oi! Any of you gonna help me? I thought this was a hospital,” he snapped as if he had been waiting these for a long time.

“I’m not going anywhere near him, he stinks,” Peter whispered to you.

“It’s our duty as doctors to help everyone in need,” you stated.

“Yeah? Well it’s his duty to shower every once in a while.”

The man sneered and pushed Peter up against the wall.

“Patch my leg up, pretty boy!” he snarled.

“I’ve seen him hanging around the streets. He’s a local junkie,” Nebula whispered to Gamora. It was true. The man was Killian Aldrich and he was a notorious addict that liked to roam the area. “Seems like your kind of patient, Y/N.” Sighing to yourself, you went over to him.

“Sir, if you would come with me, I will take a look at it.” Killian limped after you and you fixed up the wound on his leg.

“Cadets, follow me,” Ross demanded as he entered the room, heading to the break room with a stack of papers. The interns were all quick to follow. Once everyone was inside, he handed out your assignments.

“As you all know, this assignment counted as 75% of your grade...”

Everyone looked happy with their marks but your heart sunk to the bottom of your stomach when you saw yours.

“C minus? But I studied really hard! I read all the text books twice!”

“Perhaps you should have read the optional material as well,” Ross scolded.

“What optional material?”

“Did I not tell you about that? I guess I forgot,” Nebula said smugly.

“Sir, can I-?”

“No retakes. You are dismissed.”

“But that means I’ll need an A plus for the rest of my rotation!”

“Good luck with that. Even Gamora and I never get more than an A from Ross.” With that, everyone left. You looked at the grade staring back at you on the paper. Maybe someone with some more pull would be able to help you.  
...

Taking a deep breath, you knocked on the door of hospital board director Peggy Carter and waited for permission to enter.

“Come in,” came the reply.

“Miss Carter? May I speak with you?”

“Yes, but please make it quick. I’ve got a meeting in five minutes.” You nodded and sat in the chair in front of her desk.

“Miss Carter, I was wondering if you could do something about my C minus,” you said, showing her the paper.

“I’m sorry, Y/N, but my hands are tied. The board will not interfere with given grades. No exceptions. I’m glad you came in, however, because your grade is the least of your problems. You are also really far behind on your paperwork. You still need to complete four more rotations and take your final exams before the end of the semester and failing means no medical degree.”

“No medical degree?!”

“I’m truly sorry but as I stated, there are no exceptions. Be sure to keep your goals clear in both your work and in your personal life.”

“Huh? My personal life?” you asked, puzzled.

“From one female medical professional to another, I strongly advise you to give your relationship with Tony a reconsideration. That man will drag you down and everything and everyone else around him. I would hate to see that happen to you.” Her face showed genuine concern for you.

Peggy’s appointment knocked on the door, causing you to be ushered out of the room. She really had given you a lot of food for thought.  
...

At the end of the day, you met up with Tony and had an amazing evening together. He had ordered your favourite take out and watched something on Netflix but when that became boring, it turned into a heated make-out which then in turn formed into a passionate love making session. Now you were lying in bed together, your hand idly tracing the scar on his chest.

Tony had been a doctor in Afghanistan when the hospital he was working in was hit by a bomb which left a piece of shrapnel deep in his chest. They had rushed him back to the states once he had been stabilised for emergency heart surgery. They had given him some strong medication to help him manage the pain. Unfortunately, Tony became addicted to the pills, using them as coping mechanism to deal with his PTSD. When he started taking from the pharmacy, he knew he’d hit rock bottom and sought out help. Tony was six years clean and sober now.

Tony caressed your hair and looked down at you.

“You okay, Y/N? You’re pretty quiet right now compared to a while ago,” he said with a sly smirk, feeling proud of himself. You rolled your eyes and playfully slapped his shoulder.

“I’m just thinking about things...”

“What kind of things?”

“Us... my internship... my studies, my grades...” Tony suddenly broke out in a big smile.

“I’ve got just the thing to cheer you up,” he said, putting on his shorts and walking out of the room. Curious, you put on your underwear and his shirt and followed him out.

“I was going to give you this when you graduated but I think you could do with it now,” he said, handing you a box with a bow on the top. You opened it to reveal a white coffee mug with the words, “World’s Best Doctor” printed on the side. You may have felt like you could ever live up to that title but it did bring a smile to your face.

“Thanks, Tony... I really needed that,” you smiled. Tony smiled back and kissed you passionately.

“So... Round two, Babydoll?”  
...

The following morning, Tony opened the door to a surprise visitor.

“Hi, Ma. What brings you here?”

“Can’t a mother visit her son?” Maria fondly smiled. Tony smiled back and went to make her a cup of tea.

“So... How are things going between you and Y/N?” she pried with a slight twinkle in her eyes.

“They’re... going well...” Tony said, not wanting to give too much away.

“She’s a very beautiful woman, Tony... I bet she’ll look gorgeous in a wedding dress...”

“Ma, please don’t start,” Tony sighed.

“I’m not getting any younger Anthony and I want grandchildren before I die.” Tony gave his mother a pained expression which made her laugh.

“But in all seriousness, I’m glad you found someone so special and makes you happy... and she’s turning out to be a very promising doctor.” Maria had been one of Y/N’s assessors when she had begun her internship at Brookdale. She had seen firsthand Y/N’s capabilities.

“You know what’s weird? With you and dad both being doctors working in the same hospital, I never even thought about dating somebody outside of medicine,” he said, handing Maria her tea.

“It wasn’t always easy and we had our fair share of fights. We almost got divorced once...” This surprised Tony.

“What made you stay together?”

“You did, Tony. When we found out we were going to be parents, it put everything in perspective for us. All those stupid fights worked themselves out,” she said with a fond smile. “I’m really glad your taste in women has improved. Remember that proctologist you dated in your second year?”

“Oh yeah... that crazy bitch nearly tore me a new one...”

“Anthony Edward Stark,” Maria scolded in a motherly tone of voice, causing Tony to flinch.

“Sorry, Ma,” he apologised, rubbing the back of his neck. Maria spent the rest of her visit catching up with her son and reminiscing of old times. Shortly after she left, a photo sitting on Tony’s bookshelf caught his attention. It was both one of his favourites and one that brought back painful memories.

It had been taken a few years ago on felt like an ordinary day. Tony had just started dating Y/N and were still in that ‘honeymoon’ faze which showed by the way they were making googly eyes at each other. Two of the security guys were standing around laughing at a joke their friend and fellow guard Luis had just told. Scott Lang and his wife Maggie were dancing dorkily to a song that was playing on the radio. Nebula and Gamora were studying up for their next exam while Peter stood nearby working up the nerve to ask Gamora out on a date. So many happy smiling faces... who knew that within the course of a few hours, tragedy would strike...

Y/N had been doing a few rounds with the paramedics with Maggie coaching her. It had been going well so far, until they received a call out to a bad neighbourhood. The patient had been a man in his mid 30’s and he was high on drugs. At first, he seemed alright but when Maggie started to treat him, he attacked her. Y/N did everything she could and the police had been called but it wasn’t enough. Maggie had been announced DOA. Scott had been working in the ER at the time, and that night, he had to tell their young daughter Cassie that her mother wasn’t coming home. He now worked in the clinic where he could have fewer hours and spend more time with Cassie.

Tony put down the photo and sighed. It had taken a lot of time for Y/N to forgive herself but even so, she still held some guilt for not being able to save Maggie. It was a constant reminder that the life of a doctor was an unpredictable one and each day would hold new challenges, triumphs and disasters. All one could do was take pick themself up and the end of the day, move forward and learn from each mistake.


End file.
